Blinkbox gets content approval from BBC World service

Viewers of VOD service Blinkbox could soon catch up with popular programmes commissioned by BBC, according to numerous reports this week. BBC Worldwide has licensed the rights to offer shows, including Planet Earth, Top Gear and Spooks, in what seems like a revenue sharing deal.

The VOD service boasts 1.5m video streams to 750,000 unique visitors last month, and already has 5,000 hours of programming available, but much of the content is from US networks.

Blinkbox has an interesting proposition for the UK VOD market. Although the service has a competitive edge over BBC’s own iPlayer with its mixed catalogue of content, it remains to be seen whether its pay-tv model will work in the UK. The VOD market is fast evolving and companies such as Blinkbox are working to find a business model that works.

VOD viewers can be fickle so content could be the differentiator, but not without a good price structure, accessibility and usability features.

The film industry joins forces for a new business model

I’ve covered different business models for TV several times before ( here and here, as well as in a recent post titled Is cable subsription model under threat?) - indeed it is something of a recurring theme. However, a new joint movie studios initiative announced last week by Lionsgate, Paramount, and MGM has the potential to really shake things up.


Epix is an new HD TV network that will air movies after they have appeared in the cinemas but before they are released on DVD or BlueRay. But consumers won't pay a subscription or pay-per-view charges, nor specifically need to request the channel is added to their package; and the service will have no advertising. Even better, the same content is available to Epix customers at epixhd.com at 720p resolution.

So what is the business model and how can the movie studios afford to do this? Well for a start, Epix is only available to customers who are taking their tv providers' TV service and Internet service. Epix believe that their service can act as a key differentiator when customers choose a TV package. Epix are also planning to install caching servers directly in the provider’s datacenter thus avoiding the need to stream HD video over second or third party Internet connections. Epix can thus take a slice of the bandwidth cost savings that their caching servers realise for the operator. Epix aren't interested in relationships directly with consumers - they are looking to build partnerships with the cable, Internet and satellite companies.

Looks like Epix could be one TV network to watch.

Real Football on my Xbox 360?

There was an interesting partnership announced yesterday between SKY and Xbox 360. The two are working together to deliver on-demand and live programmes to consumers in Britain and Ireland via their games consoles. It’s another example of broadening the services available on today’s games consoles and builds on the web browsing capabilities that we’ve already seen from the leading players.

This latest development makes excellent use of the broadband connection, I particularly like the tie in with the Xbox live interactive service which Screen Digest believes now has over 2 million active users in the UK. So in addition to spending hours trying to take Cambridge United to the Premiership on Fifa 2009 I’ll soon be able to watch the real thing on my Xbox 360 too!

Full story here.

Weekly news roundup 27.02.09

IPTV

• The Guardian reports that starting up project Canvas could cost up to £24m
• Microsoft improves its Xbox Live service proposition (via TechRadar)

On Demand

• ITV on-demand becomes available on Virgin Media’s catch up service (via TechRadar)
• Panasonic revealed that the BBC iPlayer will come to Freesat this year, allowing on-demand TV to be watched through set top boxes without subscribing to Virgin Media. (via ElectricPig)
• YouTube and iPlayer heading for Freeview mark two (via Telegraph)

Content providers

• Amazon Beats Apple's iTunes As Preferred Digital Media Provider according to Strategy Analytics.
• Popular video-sharing site Metacafe aims to launch optimised service through IPTV (via NMA)

HDTV

• Telegraph article covers which broadcasters delivering HD content at what costs

Blu-ray

• Panasonic launches duel tuner Freesat HD PVR (via TechWatch)

BBC iPlayer fuelling IPTV growth

According to Screen Digest (as reported in today’s Guardian Unlimited), more than 1.5 billion TV shows and specialist programmes will be downloaded or streamed this year fuelled by the success of the BBC’s iPlayer service.

Screen Digest reports that the BBC’s on-demand video services, including the seven month old iPlayer service accounted for 30 per cent of UK’s free-to-web-services. Admittedly, I’m a huge fan of the BBC’s service. Trying to maintain a healthy work-life balance means that I can’t always stay up to watch Curb your Enthusiasm or the Might Boosh. With that in mind the service is a Godsend.

We are already hearing rumblings over the cost of the bandwidth for the current level of iPlayer viewership, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out if the predicted growth does indeed happen (this goes back to the net neutrality debate previously discussed).